speculative . research. environment
The Water Pole Project
2021
The Water Pole Project :
Speculative Design for the future of water crisis in developing countries
WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE?
Water Scarcity in Ethiopia is an urgent situation because of several causes. Harmful agricultural practices, climate change, lack of infrastructure, political mismanagement are only the tip of the iceberg.
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"Ethiopia's future is tied to water - a vital yet threatened resource in climate change"
- The Conversation, 2019
HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY SAVE THE DAY?
2010
The age of fog harvesting
2017
Solar Hydropanels to create water from sun
2020
Metal Organic Frameworks ( MOFs) creating water from air
2030
Large scale development of MOFs for commercial viability
2040
Government rations water to moderate usage of MOFs
2050
Water infrastructure changes and our usability of it
Developed by researchers at the University of Berkeley, U.S.A metal-organic frameworks are used under a controlled environment to create water from the humidity in the air. Speculating the growth of such technology over the span of 50 years, the economies of scale would boom for its product development.
CAN NATURE SOLVE MANMADE PROBLEMS?
The thorny devil from Australia, spider webs, and the Namib beetle have natural adaptations on their surface to collect water. This is done through condensing the humidity according to the various geometrical projections and structure on their body to quench this thirst in deserts.
CAN URBAN FURNITURE BE THE NEW WATER SOURCE?
Inspired by water spout branches in trees, the water pole project is a proposed street water pole with transparent branches of the metal-organic framework which create water and circulate it to an underground pipeline that carries water to the houses. Owing to their height and their constant exposure to the atmosphere, these water poles are efficient harvesters. With easy integration and simplistic construction, these poles are a good solution for rural and urban areas of Ethiopia.
Metal Organic Framework (MOF)
Antenna of MOF
Tree spout inspired MOF branches as poles
Bamboo inspired structure street pole
A novel light pole with MOF rotating to the sun
Origamic opening MOF network pole
Anchor Bolt
User Interface
Screen
Ring connector
Metal Organic Framework in microcapillary passing water to collector
Elbow coupler
across all connectors with filters
Collector with
filters inside
Multiple axis
connectors to send water to different homes in a community
Citizens are registered on the WUHA - the water ration card - to allocate and monitor the amount of water used
Users tap on the screen of the pole to use the service and see details about when the water would be transferred
Monitoring is done to penalise citizens who waste the water and points are rewarded to those who save
THE WATER POLE PROJECT : 2050 WHERE STREET POLES ARE WATER STATIONS
Inspired by water spout branches in trees, the water pole project is a proposed street water pole with transparent branches of the metal-organic framework which create water and circulate it to an underground pipeline that carries water to the houses. Owing to their height and their constant exposure to the atmosphere, these water poles are efficient harvesters. With easy integration and simplistic construction, these poles could be the future of water for rural and urban areas of Ethiopia.
WORKING
The metal organic framework is seeded in the microcapillary to harvest energy from the humidity in the air. This is collected in the collector section which contains filter for the water to navigate for dispersal.
SERVICE JOURNEY
THE WATER POLE NETWORK
These lines of water poles are placed all across the city to meet household demands. The water system is actuated as per the demand allocated for the household forming a cooperative of water users.
HOW DOES THIS FUTURE FEEL?
The project speculates the social repurcussions such an idea would have where the new economy is water, your social standing is influenced by the amount of water used and conserved and water becomes an authoritarian commodity.
